The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

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PostPosted: Wed Jul 04, 2018 7:35 pm 
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Hi folks,

I wanted to top up the oil in my gearbox and diff (I've a rumbling from the back at 20 mph and above that I'm sure is the dreaded wheel bearings, but I've some ep90 in the garage and will be popping a little oil in just in case).

So I open up the driver's side grommet in the tunnel: no drain plug. Crawling under the car and blindly feeling around I put fingers on it, but it's on the passenger side under the clutch slave. Further investigation shows I have an adapter plate between box and engine, and the box leans over slightly on it's mount towards the passenger side. The gear lever position is a little off, too: I didn't really notice before as my daily is a modern and much wider than the Dolly, and my reach is about the same in the two - but in the Dolly I'd better be real friendly with the passenger when I put it 1st! Also my tunnel has been altered a little on top for a new gear lever outlet position, sadly losing the coin tray in the process :-(.

I'm thinking my car has a Sprint gearbox to go with the Sprint badges I took off ;-) Can you guys confirm or deny? I've never seen what an 1850's gearbox should look like, but I've seen Sprint / TR6 boxes and this looks just like it.

Some photos:

My drain plug, passenger side under slave:
Image

Shot from underneath of box and support, and the angle between them:
Image

This is 3rd selected, and the bottom of the lever is at the far left of the gaiter:
Image

Drivers side view of box between bell and OD:
Image

My car definitely has an 8V slant 4, and from what I can tell has an 1850 prop and diff. If this is a Sprint box, is it likely to cause stress like this? If so, what can I do to resolve, put in a Sprint engine subframe?

I'm happy if I'm wrong and it's an 1850 box- the car drives really well (rumbling from rear aside), but then it's the first Dolly I've driven so can't comment on if the gear ratios are off. Fuel economy is really good I can say though, and that's no mean feat given the perished carb rubbers and lack of tuning..

But if I'm right and my nice 1850 is not quite as original as I thought... I'm thinking that I may as well finish the job rather than put in the correct box :twisted: . How much would a decent Sprint engine + carbs, axel, prop etc set me back? Or are they a rare luxury these days, reserved for keeping real Sprints alive?

Cheers,

Mike.

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Current classic cars: 1974 Triumph Dolomite (Honey), 1978 Triumph Dolomite Sprint (Holly), 1974 Triumph Spitfire 1500 (Pepper)
Current modern cars: 2010 Mini One (Rusty), 2019 BMW i3 (Treehugger)
Past cars: 2003 BMW Z4 roadster 3.0 (Marty), 1972 Triumph Spitfire IV with 2.0 I6 (Polly), 1972 Ford Escort 1100L with RS2000 running gear (Nora Batty)


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 04, 2018 7:54 pm 
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Well it looks like a Sprint gearbox!

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PostPosted: Wed Jul 04, 2018 7:55 pm 
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Yes that's a sprint box and the adapter is a std sprint item as the box is not a slant box in the first place.

A sprint engine sits slightly different in the car than the 1850 engine and that's why it's not totally level.

Jeroen

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PostPosted: Wed Jul 04, 2018 8:03 pm 
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Thanks guys! At least I know I'm not going mad - I've been staring at gearbox images on the internet for far too long ha ha! No decent 1850 box images...

Do you know of any issues with running this set up...? Or will this last until I change something?

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Bradman.

Current classic cars: 1974 Triumph Dolomite (Honey), 1978 Triumph Dolomite Sprint (Holly), 1974 Triumph Spitfire 1500 (Pepper)
Current modern cars: 2010 Mini One (Rusty), 2019 BMW i3 (Treehugger)
Past cars: 2003 BMW Z4 roadster 3.0 (Marty), 1972 Triumph Spitfire IV with 2.0 I6 (Polly), 1972 Ford Escort 1100L with RS2000 running gear (Nora Batty)


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 04, 2018 10:00 pm 
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Ratios are different, not sure if that messes up torque band / gear change points, is it an 1850 axle you have or a Sprint one? That's easy to tell, brake drums that look like they should be on a bus...


Attachments:
ratio.png
ratio.png [ 4.21 KiB | Viewed 1374 times ]

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PostPosted: Thu Jul 05, 2018 6:58 am 
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Thanks for that - I'm fairly sure I have an 1850 axle with the smaller brake drums (photos follow). If this is true, then using your chart I get the following overall drives:

1st: 10.88
2nd: 7.64
3rd: 5.06
4th: 3.64

Compared to stock, I assume from this my progress through the gears will "feel" quicker / sportier, but actual progress will be slower due to gear changes occurring sooner...? In addition, I stick to the "3000 rpm max rule" with this engine to keep it happy, and this probably slows me up a bit. Not that I'm complaining, I don't have a problem keeping up with traffic, and it still feels great / nippy to drive :D .

Some pictures of my diff (without the flash everything was a nice even colour. with flash I realise I have leaks to sort out :( ):Image
Image
Image

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Bradman.

Current classic cars: 1974 Triumph Dolomite (Honey), 1978 Triumph Dolomite Sprint (Holly), 1974 Triumph Spitfire 1500 (Pepper)
Current modern cars: 2010 Mini One (Rusty), 2019 BMW i3 (Treehugger)
Past cars: 2003 BMW Z4 roadster 3.0 (Marty), 1972 Triumph Spitfire IV with 2.0 I6 (Polly), 1972 Ford Escort 1100L with RS2000 running gear (Nora Batty)


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PostPosted: Thu Jul 05, 2018 7:43 am 
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Yup, 1850 axle. ( or could be 1500!)


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PostPosted: Thu Jul 05, 2018 9:01 am 
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Yikes...

Righto: If I'm going to start redoing seals / bearings etc I should take the opportunity to do this off the car in the comfort of my garage, and to use the stronger Sprint stuff too. This could take a while...

Thanks again, all!

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Bradman.

Current classic cars: 1974 Triumph Dolomite (Honey), 1978 Triumph Dolomite Sprint (Holly), 1974 Triumph Spitfire 1500 (Pepper)
Current modern cars: 2010 Mini One (Rusty), 2019 BMW i3 (Treehugger)
Past cars: 2003 BMW Z4 roadster 3.0 (Marty), 1972 Triumph Spitfire IV with 2.0 I6 (Polly), 1972 Ford Escort 1100L with RS2000 running gear (Nora Batty)


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PostPosted: Thu Jul 05, 2018 10:44 am 
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Although the axles for all our cars except the sprint look the same they can be identified as they are marked that is if you can read it. See photo for location. The 1300CC is marked DG: The 1500 & 1500hl are marked DM or DP: 1850 Man is WF and 1850 Auto is WG:


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PostPosted: Thu Jul 05, 2018 5:10 pm 
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Quote:
Thanks guys! At least I know I'm not going mad - I've been staring at gearbox images on the internet for far too long ha ha! No decent 1850 box images...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Triumph-Dolo ... SwqYBbPLWz
Some good piccys here from EBay. I note the clutch cylinder and fork is missing though.
Tony.


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PostPosted: Thu Jul 05, 2018 8:24 pm 
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Quote:

My car definitely has an 8V slant 4..............
Even this is not certain to still be an 1850, could be a Tr7 2.0!

It would make sense, not much mileage in putting a Sprint box, with all the attendant faffing, into a bog stock 1850! Might be time to check the engine code too!

Steve

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PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 9:54 am 
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I know what I'll be doing when I get in from work... :D

I'm honestly amazed by the depth of knowledge you guys have on these cars...

I'll report back with axle / engine numbers soon!

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Bradman.

Current classic cars: 1974 Triumph Dolomite (Honey), 1978 Triumph Dolomite Sprint (Holly), 1974 Triumph Spitfire 1500 (Pepper)
Current modern cars: 2010 Mini One (Rusty), 2019 BMW i3 (Treehugger)
Past cars: 2003 BMW Z4 roadster 3.0 (Marty), 1972 Triumph Spitfire IV with 2.0 I6 (Polly), 1972 Ford Escort 1100L with RS2000 running gear (Nora Batty)


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 10:25 am 
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Quote:
Quote:
Thanks guys! At least I know I'm not going mad - I've been staring at gearbox images on the internet for far too long ha ha! No decent 1850 box images...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Triumph-Dolo ... SwqYBbPLWz
Some good piccys here from EBay. I note the clutch cylinder and fork is missing though.
Tony.
Nope, that's definitely not what I have :shock: Thanks for the link :D

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Bradman.

Current classic cars: 1974 Triumph Dolomite (Honey), 1978 Triumph Dolomite Sprint (Holly), 1974 Triumph Spitfire 1500 (Pepper)
Current modern cars: 2010 Mini One (Rusty), 2019 BMW i3 (Treehugger)
Past cars: 2003 BMW Z4 roadster 3.0 (Marty), 1972 Triumph Spitfire IV with 2.0 I6 (Polly), 1972 Ford Escort 1100L with RS2000 running gear (Nora Batty)


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 11:24 am 
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Where are you? I have a spare Sprint axle in Stourbridge...


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 3:50 pm 
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Right then:

Engine number F77920HE (the initial W is there in spirit only :wink: )
Axel number WF30870

All standard 1850 stuff from what I can tell.

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Bradman.

Current classic cars: 1974 Triumph Dolomite (Honey), 1978 Triumph Dolomite Sprint (Holly), 1974 Triumph Spitfire 1500 (Pepper)
Current modern cars: 2010 Mini One (Rusty), 2019 BMW i3 (Treehugger)
Past cars: 2003 BMW Z4 roadster 3.0 (Marty), 1972 Triumph Spitfire IV with 2.0 I6 (Polly), 1972 Ford Escort 1100L with RS2000 running gear (Nora Batty)


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